Burial vault



R. J. ELLEDGE Jan. 3o, 1940. n

BUR IAL VAULT Filed Nov. 17, i938 'Mllmliiillllim.,

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K @Wmo/Www?? 4 t INVE'NTR /x JE// age. zg miam ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 30, 1940 BURIAL .VAULT Rex J. Elledge, Trenton, Mo., assigner of one-half to William A. Martin, Trenton, Mo. Application November 17, 1938, Serial No. 240,962

Claims,

'I'his invention relates to burial vaults, particularly those of monolithic type, and has for its principal object to provide a vault of this character that is of simple 'and light weight construc- 5 tion so that it may be stocked by a funeral director and placed with ordinary 'casket lowering equipment.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a vault structure that may be used either as an underground vault or a mausoleum; to provide'a vault construction which eliminates necessity of mixing and pouring cement to effect seal of the closure; to provide a one piece closure equipped with an insulating space; to provide hermetic seal of the-vault incidental to Weight of the vault cover pressing upon a sealing compound; and to provide the vault cover with means for retaining an ornamental top cover in position thereon when the vault is used as a mausoleum.

In accomplishing these and other objectsA of the invention, as hereinafter pointed out, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form ofwhich is' illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig` 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a burial vault constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section through a vault when used as a mausoleum.

80 Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one end of the vault, particularly showing the vconstruction and mounting of the vault closure and orna-l mental covers.

Fig. 4 is a cross-'section through a vault when 85 used for underground burial.

Referring more in detail to the drawing: I designates a burial vault constructed in accordance with the present invention, and which includes. a body section 2 formed from light 40 weight, cementitious material to provide monolithic side and end walls 3 4 and 5-6,"and a bottom 'I of an open top casket compartment 8.

The walls of the body section are suitably reinforced with wire or expanded metal and they are 45 of suitable thickness to give the required strength and exclude the elements, such as moisture, air. and the like. The upper edges of the side and end walls have laterally extending perimetrical flanges 9 to provide suflfcient seating surfaces I0 5u and I I on the respective sides of a perimetrical tongue I2 to seat a cover section I3 thereon. The tongue I2 is preferably shaped to have upwardly converging sides I4 and I5 terminating in a fiat,

upper face I6.

55 The closure I3 corresponds in length and width vto that of the body section at the point of the perimetrical flange 9 and is alsoof precast monolithic construction. The bottom face of the cover I3 has a perimetrical groove I 'I having sloping sides I B and I 9 and a bottom 20 shaped according to the corresponding sides of the tongue I2, but of larger dimensions so as to leave space therebetweenfor accommodating a self-sealing, normally plastic compound 2I. The marginal edges pof the cover also have fiat contacting faces 22 10 and 23 corresponding with the seating- -faces III and II on the body section. -I

When'the vault is used as a. mausoleum and placed so that the top thereof is substantially level with the surface of the ground, it is necessary to construct the cover so that the interior and contents of the vault are protected from changes in external temperature. This is effected by providing that portion of the cover extending over the opening of the body section with spaced 20 walls 24 and 25, which form a dead air space 26 therebetween. The walls 24 and 25 are preferably crowned upwardly, as shown in the drawing, so as to better support the load when the vault is v used for underground burials, and to drain the 25 moisture toward the sides of the vault.

The cover has its upper marginal edge provided with an inset shoulder 21 to form a horizontal seat 28 and a vertical stop 29 for retaining an ornamental cover when the vault is used as a 30 mausoleum. The ornamental cover 30 may be formed of any suitable material and includes a crowned top 3| having depending flanges 32 engaging over the stopfaces 29 and seated upon the faces 23, as shown in Fig. 3. The cover 30 35 may be provided with any suitable decorations, or a tablet or name plate 33.

The sealing material is applied in the grooves of the cover and remains plastic so that when the Kcover is placedon the body section the weight of the cover causes the material to be extruded between the space provided about the tongue so as to eilect a .seal therewith and prevent passage of moisture or. air to v and from the casket compartment.

The respective sections of the vault constructed as described are relatively light weight and may be handled in the manner of an ordinary .metal vault and placed by the funeral director with his regular casket lowering equipment.. 'I'he 50 light weight character of the vault makes shipping feasible so that it may be stocked by any funeral director and placed by him without the use of mortar or the like. -in effecting hermetic seal of the casket compartment.

In using the vault as a mausoleum, an excavation is made in the earth' of sufcient depth so that the edge of the ornamental cover projects slightly above the surface of the ground. The body section of the vault is then readily lowered therein to await the burial. After placement of the casket, the vault cover section, already containing the plastic material in the grooves thereof, is placed on the body section s'o that the tongue I2 enters the groove. 'Ihe weight of the cover causes the plastic sealing material to be extruded uniformly about the tongue and between the seating surfaces so as to effect a hermetic seal therebetween. The ornamental cover is then placed over the rst cover and the earth tamped therearound to complete the assembly. It is thus obvious that the vault may be set in a dignified and decorous manner.

When the vault is used for underground burial, as shown in Fig. 4, the excavation is made to the proper depth and the body section lowered therein in the same manner as an ordinary rough box. After placement of the casket the cover is lowered so that the groove therein passes over the tongue on the body section. The weight of the cover, supplemented by the weight of the earth when lled in, makes the hermetic seal so that the casket compartment is air and moisture tight.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vault including a monolithic body section having a bottom and side and end wallsforming a casket compartment, a tongue projecting upwardly from the edges of the side and end Walls, a preformed one piece monolithic closure section having a groove in the marginal edge thereof and provided with a dead air space substantially coextensve with the casket compartment and separated from the groove by a monolithic portion of said closure section whereby said compartment is insulated from the effects of external temperature changes over the entire area thereof, and a plastic sealing material in said groove -and adapted to be extruded about said tongue when the closure section is placed on the body section. p

2. A vault including a, monolithic body section having a bottom and side and end walls forming a casket compartment, a tongue projecting upwardly from the edges of the side and end walls, a preformed one piece closure section having a groove in the marginal edge thereof to receive said tongue and provided' with a dead air space substantially coextensve with the casket compartment and above the plane of said tongue whereby the entire area of said compartment is insulated from the effects of external temperature changes, a plastic sealing material in said groove and adapted to be extruded about said tongue when the closure section is placed on the body section, said closure section having a marginal shoulder on its upper face, and anv ornamental cover having a perimetrical flange seated upon said marginal shoulder.

3. A vault including a monolithic body section having a bottom and side and endwallf,l ormng a casket compartment, a tongue projecting upwardly from the edges of the side and end walls and forming inner and outer seats, a preformed one piece closure section having a groove in the marginal edge thereof and having seats engaging the corresponding seats on the body section, said closure section having a completely closed dead air space coextensve with the casket compartment whereby 4said compartment is insulated from the effects of external temperature changes,'and a plastic sealing material in said piece closure section having a dead air space coextensve with the casket compartment and having its side and end edges seated upon the side and end walls of the body section, and an ornamental cover covering the closure section and having a marginal ilange bearing upon a portion of the closure section seated upon said side and end walls.

5. A burial vault including a monolithic body section having a bottom and side and end walls forming a casket compartment, a preformed one piece closure section having a dead air space coextensive with the casket compartment and having its side and end edges seated upon the side and end walls of the body section, said closure section having a marginal shoulder extending about the periphery of said dead air space, and a cover having'a top portion spaced from the closure section and provided with marginal l flanges bearing -upon the marginal shoulder of M said closure section.

REX J. ELLEDGE. 

